Ninety minutes later, the written exam was over.
Kai handed his paper to the invigilator and walked out of the classroom, into the corridor, admiring the modern infrastructure of the school from the balcony.
"Ah, Kai." A familiar voice called out.
Turning around, Kai saw a short boy with feminine features approaching him. It was Mao, whom he had faced in a match at the sports center.
"Ran into you here. How did the written exam go?" Kai asked, curious.
"The written part should be fine. By the way, did you figure out the speed of the Hyper Beam skill on the last question?" Mao inquired.
"Isn't that 3 * 10^8 m/s?" Kai replied, stroking his chin.
"Same here." Mao seemed relieved. He looked around the campus with a sense of yearning. "I really hope I can get into this school."
"I remember Silverwing High School has been around for decades. Why does the infrastructure look so new?" Kai asked, curious. The school even had automatic faucets in the bathrooms.
"You didn't know?" Mao, seeing Kai's genuine curiosity, explained, "Silverwing High School has been sponsored by the Bai Family Group for years. They renovate the school every few years during the summer and winter vacations, which is why it looks so new."
"The Bai Family?" Kai was a bit surprised. The Bai family was akin to royals in their world.
"Yeah, the group that invented the Poké Balls. It's understandable that you didn't know. This is insider information from a friend in a private forum on the internet." Mao grinned, feeling proud to know something Kai wasn't aware of.
Kai chucked in response, not bothered in the slightest. He had been busy preparing for the exam the whole time and didn't care about the school's background enough to dig too deep, only that it was renowned and an excellent place for learning for Pokémon trainers.
"Speaking of renovations, there was a funny incident in the school last year," Mao continued. "Late at night, a senior who had to stay late at school suddenly had the urge to take a dump and went to the bathroom on the second floor. The bathroom had motion sensor lights installed and they began to turn on and off, frightening the senior. The lights turned off every five to six seconds, so he had to clap to keep the lights on while using the restroom. Right at that moment, A teacher walked in and the next day, there were rumors about a ghost clapping for you while you were in the bathroom. The worse your stuff smells, the more the ghost claps."
Kai was surprised, and Mao shrugged with a mixed expression of amusement and exasperation.
At that moment, the announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Please proceed to the designated area for the practical test."
"It's time for the practical exam. Let's go."
"Yeah."
The two of them were assigned to Group B, which was located at the sports field. Holding their roll numbers, they joined the queue for their turn.
The sports field had several dedicated battle arenas. Four of these arenas were used for the exams, each equipped with five teachers: one to oversee the battle, one to act as referee, and three to judge and score the trainers.
Many students had already released their Pokémon, showcasing a variety of types, all eager for battle.
Kai did the same, summoning Charmander to stand by his side.
The practical exam was simple. The teachers would use relatively weaker Pokémon and battle the students. Then, the three judges would score the performance and calculate the average score to determine the practical exam result. It wasn't about defeating the opponent but rather showcasing the trainer's skills and their bond with their Pokémon
With Kai's roll number, he estimated he had to wait for over an hour before it was his turn. In the meantime, he watched other battles.
After a few rounds, Kai noticed that none of the students had been able to defeat the teachers. Despite the teachers using relatively weak Pokémon, at the same level as the trainers, the students kept losing, emphasizing the staggering difference in skills.
"Damn! These teachers are too strong! How can we even win?"
"I heard they are all high-level trainers. Do you have any strategies?"
"It seems impossible. Look at that Poochyena; it's being toyed with by that teacher's Squirtle."
The students observing the battles started whispering among themselves.
"Is this the difference between apprentice trainers and official Pokémon trainers?" Kai mused. The teachers at Silverwing High School must have considerable skill to be employed there. It made sense why the practical exam stated it wasn't necessary to defeat the teacher; just demonstrating proficiency was sufficient.
"We don't intend to face the teachers with a losing attitude," Kai said, glancing at Charmander with a thoughtful smile. "Right?"
Charmander opened his mouth, clenched his claws, and responded, "Gah!"
"Candidate 75, please proceed to battle arena 4 and prepare for your exam!" The announcement echoed through the sports field.
Kai, who was number 75, felt the hair tie in his pocket and walked toward arena 4. "Let's go, Charmander."
"Gah."
Upon arriving at arena 4, Kai noticed the surrounding students giving him sympathizing looks.
"Another one."
"Being picked by Teacher Shawn is like getting your face plunged into a skunky's butt"
"Ah, I'm number 76. I hope he lasts longer and tires Teacher Shawn out a bit."
From their conversations, Kai could infer that this Teacher Shawn was likely very skilled.
"Hey, new student, don't just stand there." A voice came from the front. Kai turned to see a thin, middle-aged man with an impatient expression. "Many students are waiting behind you. Do you know how much time you're wasting?"
*This must be Teacher Shawn,* Kai thought as he stepped forward and approached the command position of the battle arena. "Hello, teachers. I am candidate 75, Kai."
"Hmph." Teacher Shawn scrutinized him. "Let your Pokémon enter the arena."
Kai signaled to Charmander, and the small dinosaur walked into the battle arena, the flame on its tail flickering with intensity.
"What's that on its body? Take it off. No items are allowed during the exam," Teacher Shawn pointed out Charmander's training vest.
"Alright."
Kai smiled and removed Charmander's training vest, which fell to the ground with a puff of dust.
"Oh?" Teacher Shawn seemed to understand something, raising an eyebrow.
"So, Kai's Charmander was fighting while wearing such a heavy item?" The spectators, including Mao, looked surprised. Initially, Mao had thought it was just an ordinary accessory.
"I'll use this Pokémon." Teacher Shawn threw a Poké Ball, and with a flash of light, a blue frog-like Pokémon appeared.
Froakie!
A Water-type Pokémon, Froakie was known for its powerful jumping ability and agility, easily leaping to the height of dozens of meters.
"Well, damn."
"This is going to be tough."
The expressions of the spectators fell.
"Hope he can score some points and not get knocked out immediately." Mao silently wished Charmander good luck. While he knew Kai was strong, Teacher Shawn was on a completely different level. He had already tested dozens of trainers and had a winning streak of 30 seconds into the match.
The rest of the students had already abandoned hopes of winning against him, simply trying their best to last longer. But for Kai, even that seemed difficult.
He was at a type disadvantage!